The Boy Without a Scar: Albus Potter's Story
by FullOfNargles
Summary: Albus struggles with living in his father's shadow while trying to create his own identity, non-associated with his father, but is that even possible? And when Albus meets some unique new friends who understand him, could he be putting himself in danger?
1. Chapter 1: The Sorting Hat

**_Author's Note:_**_ Although only Albus and OC are listed, many of the same "Rowling Original" characters are big and very important parts, it's just that I can only list two. This is my first fic, mostly written for my own enjoyment, so I hope you all enjoy it, too! These first few chapters are more for introduction, so just stick with it and I promise the good stuff will come! Except for very few original characters, everything is owned by J.K. Rowling._

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><p>Rose and Albus sat side by side on the Hogwarts Express. The car was one of the closest to the back, thus one of the only cars not packed with older students. Albus sat next to the window, staring blankly at the thick, passing steam and the green, rolling hills. He would have been enjoying the quiet if it weren't for Rose's constant chatter. She went on and on about class schedules and housing and the history of the school, but after eleven years Albus was mostly able to block her out, and was able to immerse himself in his own quiet thought.<p>

"...but Mum spoke _real _fondly of Transfiguration, though. I hope the new teacher is at least half as good as she said McGonagall was."

"Yeah..." mumbled Albus, as he did every few of Rose's pauses.

Albus felt Rose lean in on him a bit, "Are you listening to me at all?" she exclaimed in her usual tone of annoyance, something Uncle Ron had once said she got from her mother.

"Yes!" He turned toward her abruptly, "Although, to be honest, I can't say I care that much about how the school was founded."

Rose turned up her nose slightly and sniffed, "Well _I _think it's interesting." Rose had inherited nearly all of her traits from her mother, save only for her freckle-covered face and her height among other things, she was several inches taller than Albus and was even almost as tall as James.

Even from inside the closed car, Rose and Albus could hear the excitement going on in other cars, which made Rose even more nervous, as she was known amongst the family to have trouble making friends. Albus, on the other hand, was enjoying the moments of solitude away from everyone besides Rose. Besides from her fairly prickly attitude and occasional smart remarks, Albus and Rose got along well, they felt more like siblings than cousins.

For a few moments Rose had stopped talking and occupied herself with a book entitled _Hogwarts:A History_, an older looking book that Aunt Hermione had given her as a going away present just moments before their departure. A stout old woman knocked and opened the door of the car.

"Sorry to interrupt. Anything from the Trolley, m'dears?" She asked, smiling warmly.

"Oh no, thank you, we're-" started Rose, but she was interrupted by Albus.

"Ohh, hmm. Could I have two chocolate frogs, a pack of Drooble's, and two Pumpkin Pasties?" He jumped up to the cart, practically salivating over the astonishing array of sweets. "Boy, I'm starving!"

He paid and thanked the candy lady and sat back down with his treats, ripping open a chocolate frog.

"Why waste your money on that when your mum made you a perfectly good lunch?" Rose asked, sounding annoyed again.

"It's just some sweets," he replied, sucking on the chocolate frog. He picked up the card inside and felt his stomach lurch. Staring up at him from the card was a smiling, seventeen-year-old version of his father. His nerves, that had finally begun to calm, began to go haywire again. He tucked the card into his pocket, intending to dispose of it later. Besides, he probably had about ten of the same one in his collection at home already. "Besides," he started again, attempting to shake off the anxiety, "didn't you know I would share?" He picked up a Pumpkin Pastie and handed it to Rose. For a moment she glared at him, then swiped it from his hand. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist her favorite treat (that was another thing she had inherited from her father; his sweet tooth). For a while they continued to sit in silence, chewing, both too anxious to talk.

"Hey, Rose?" said Albus out of the blue.

"Mmm?" Rose turned to him, devouring the last of her pastry.

"What if-", he paused, thinking of how to explain his thought, "What if you don't get into Gryffindor?"

She thought for a moment. "Well, what could I do? I couldn't request a change, now could I?"

"Well, I mean more, like, if you think your parents would get upset? Or, be disappointed?"

"Hmmm... I don't know for sure. I don't think my mum cares either way, and I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't come as a shock to my dad, but disappointed? I don't think so."

"Oh. That's good." He sat back again, beginning to peer out the window once more.

Rose leaned in on him again. "You don't think yours would be, do you?" she asked, as if it was a ridiculous proposition in itself.

"Not mum, but dad? He said he wouldn't be but, you know, he's just such a Gryffindor."

Rose did not often take to comforting people, but nevertheless she put her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Al, no matter what he's still you're dad, and he would still love you, and none of us would ever think any differently of you." She removed her hand and Albus smiled thankfully at her. "Besides," she continued, in a much lighter, more humorous way, "you're Harry Potter's son, of course you will be in Gryffindor."

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><p>The moment that Rose and Albus walked into the Great Hall felt like a childhood fantasy coming to life before their eyes. They began to witness everything their parents had told them about and that they had been dreaming about since childhood; the floating candles, the bewitched ceiling, the great tables lined with multitudes of students anxious for the sorting to be over so that they could begin the feast fit for a king. It was even bigger than they imagined, even grander and even more beautiful. Albus couldn't decide what to focus on first, while Rose couldn't decide what to explain to Albus first.<p>

"See the ceiling, Al? Isn't it lovely? It's bewitched, you know, what a grand idea. And the flags, do you see them? With a house on them? Every year there is a House Cup, the house with the most points wins. And over there-" she went on like this for a while, and, as usual, Albus was blocking her out, however unintentionally.

The walk to the front of the room seemed to take forever, and just as they were nearing it, Albus and Rose heard voices.

"Rose, Al! Hey first-years!" Rose and Albus turned to see James, Fred, Roxanne, Molly, Lucy, and Dominique waving at them from them Gryffindor table, along with Alice Wimbildt, a friend of Roxanne's whom they had recognized from the New Year's party last year, and a boy with messy black hair sitting next to James who neither Rose nor Albus recognized. Rose and Al waved back. Rose seemed excited and even a little comforted to see them waving at them, but seeing James at the Gryffindor table, along with the rest of his family thus far, Albus became unbearably nervous. He became jittery and shaky as they reached the platform. He started to sweat, and then he saw it; the chair that looked like a small throne, with an ancient, tattered looking brown hat in the seat. He had a sudden urge to turn around, get back on the train, and ride back home. He turned to Rose, who looked unaffected completely by anxiety for once in her life; she was too in awe of her surroundings, but for a moment she looked at Albus, and her expression wiped from her face.

"Al? Are you okay? You look sick!" But before he could say anything back, Professor Gondar, a young, plain woman with dark, straight brown hair and a small pointed nose who, as she had explained just moments ago, was the Potions Mistress, stood before the chair at the platform to explain the sorting process.

"When I call your name, you will come up to sit on the chair, and the Sorting Hat will place you into one of the four houses. We will go alphabetically." she began chanting names, the first being a boy named Braun Aarby, who was sorted into Hufflepuff. Name after name was called off the list, each one going from anxious to relieved in a matter of seconds. It seemed like it was going on for eternity. "Leanne Pottan?" was called up. Albus was shocked that when Gondar called her name, Rose grabbed and squeezed his hand. He looked at her and she looked up at him, looking terrified. "You're next, I bet.," she mouthed to him, "I don't want you to go." she mouthed again, and squeezed his hand harder.

"Slytherin!" shouted the Sorting Hat on the top of Leanne's head. She sneered and ran off to the Slytherin table. Albus knew he was being paranoid, but he couldn't help feeling like it must have been a sign. Rose squeezed harder, Albus felt her nails digging into his skin.

"Albus Potter?

His heart skipped a beat, and he heard Rose's breath stop short, but she did not yet release his hand. Albus looked at her expectantly, and she whispered to him, "Good luck, cous'." she looked close to tears, but she unwillingly let his hand go. For a second he just looked at her face, then he turned and went to be sorted.

He pushed through the sea of first-years, who he knew were looking at him as he approached. He stepped up on the platform slowly, and the eyes of the students felt like burns on the back of his head. He knew that everybody knew his name, knew his family's names, and knew that for generations, both sides of his family had been solidly Gryffindor. He sat down on the chair and immediately wanted to sink into the ground and never be seen again; everyone was staring at him. Everyone. It was as if their eyelids had stopped working, no one even blinked, but the stares that stung worst were the ones from his family. There was James and Fred and their friends, all smiling and looking excited, and there was Rose, who looked scared for her life without her cousin, and her best friend, by her side.

The hat was put on his head, and a fire ran through his blood, and in his veins, and gathered at his heart. There it sat, a hot pool of anxiety just waiting for that one word.

"Ha!" The hat exclaimed loudly and made Albus twitch, "How much Weasley blood does there need to be before you slow down? Ah, but you're also a Potter, another one, I see. But _you, _you're something, aren't you." His words made Albus's stomach flop. Something? What did he mean by something? "I've had Weasleys' and I've had Potters', but you're different, you're something." Albus scanned the room. He was humiliated, and everyone else seemed shocked, but no one more than James, judging by the look on his face. He remembered what his father said, that the Sorting Hat takes your wish into account, and he was going to ask to be in Gryffindor, but he couldn't. Something stopped him. He didn't ask for anything. He just froze, petrified in body and mind. "You are different. You _are _ different. Difficult decision. But I can only think of one place where _you _can thrive to your full potential, and you _will thrive_ here." Albus squeezed his eyes and stopped breathing. "Ravenclaw!"

His jaw went numb. He couldn't feel his legs. He opened his eyes and looked at the Ravenclaw table, there was shouting, people standing on benches. "We've got a Potter? We've got a Potter!" some yelled. Then he shifted his eyes to the Gryffindor table. They were fairly still, some clapping, but unenthusiastically. He looked at his family. They all looked shocked beyond words. His heart sank when he saw James tilt his head to the floor and turn toward Roxanne. He looked out to Rose, who still looked terrified, but sympathetic, and to Albus's surprise she did not even looked shocked.

Before anyone could scold him he walked down off the platform and walked dizzily to the Ravenclaw table. Many people shifted to make room, in hopes that they would opt to sit next to them. He looked down the line of students until he saw two familiar blonde heads and bright faces: those of Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, the twin sons of friends of the family, whom Albus had forgotten were going to be first-years this year. With his head tilted to the ground, he walked briskly to where they sat.

"Er, hello Lorcan, Lysander."

"Albus!" they both said in a most dreamy-sounding unison.

"Would-would you mind me sitting with you?"

"Not at all, Albus! In fact, we'd be honored!" replied Lysander brightly. Albus noticed that Lysander was just a bit shorter than Lorcan, with a slightly rounder face and slightly greener eyes. The only way he would be able to tell them apart, he thought to himself.

He sat down next to Lorcan, closer to the platform. His neck stiffened when he thought about turning his head toward the Gryffindor table, he was too terrified, so he was left to merely imagine the looks on the faces of his family. He imagined Dominique turning up her pretty little nose at the Ravenclaw table, ashamed of being Albus the Outcast's cousin. He imagined Molly and Lucy trying hard to contain themselves with dignity, the way their father had taught them to, but finding it difficult. He imagined Fred and Roxanne making jokes about him to try and cheer everyone up, but most of all he imagined James with an angry, ashamed look. Ashamed that his direct family could have any little drop of non-Gryffindor blood. They were the sons of Harry Potter, for goodness sake. Harry Potter, practically the face of Gryffindor house second only to Godric Gryffindor himself and the great Albus Dumbledore. Albus Dumbledore, after whom he was named. If anyone was expected to be in Gryffindor, it was he.

Professor Gondar continued to spout off names. He felt horrible for Rose, he knew how she got under pressure and how vulnerable she was alone. He knew that she so hoped to be in Gryffindor, and he hoped that his placement into Ravenclaw didn't upset her or put her off too much. About twenty-five minutes later, there were only about twenty students left to be sorted, including Rose.

"Rose Weasley?" Gondar called. Albus saw Rose step up from the front of the platform, she was shaking just as badly or maybe even worse than he had been. She sat on the chair and the hat went onto her head. She locked her legs so still that it looked painful, and her jaw was visibly shaking. For the first time in his life Albus felt an overwhelming urge to hug her. He had never noticed until now how vulnerable she was without her family around her. Their whole lives, he realized, they had been together. He was her first friend and her best friend for so long. At least twice a week they would visit each other and play together as their parents conversed or cooked a feast or made plans for work. It only occurred to him now how alone she must have felt.

"Fascinating. I haven't seen a mind like yours since-why since your mother's!" exclaimed the hat. Rose shook violently, "Yes, I remember now. Yes, yes. Gryffindor!" shouted the Sorting Hat. Rose stopped shaking, finally. She smiled and the color came back to her face and she ran jubilantly to the Gryffindor table.

Albus clapped for her. He couldn't decide whether to be sad or happy. He was happy that she would be with her family all around her, to watch out for her and be with her until she got comfortable with the other people, but unbearably sad that he would be alone, without Rose, without any of his family, after all those years.

He turned and glanced yearningly at the Gryffindor table. Rose sat down next to Dominique, who hugged her and said something to her, while from a across the table James made miniature fireworks erupt from his wand and disappear into his still empty glass.


	2. Chapter 2: The First Day

_**Author's Note: **I hope those of you who may be reading are enjoying what I have so far! This and maybe the next chapter or so may seem slightly dull (but I really hope they don't), but please stick with it if you are enjoying it, because I **promise **_that I have a plan here and it's going to get more interesting and twisty. Again, all characters, places, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, all I own are the original characters and scenarios. Thanks!__

After a sleepless night, Albus sat leaning on his arm at the Ravenclaw table, his eyelids weary with fatigue, but it didn't matter much, thoughts of what he would tell his father when he wrote home prevented him from falling asleep altogether.

"Good morning, Al!" said a bubbly voice from behind him, he turned slowly and saw Rose, with a heavy bag slung over her shoulder and her book from the day before in the train tucked under her arm.

"Morning." he said after a pause, not moving away from her.

After an awkward pause and not speaking for a moment, Rose looked around helplessly and then said, retrieving a square of parchment from her robes, "Have you gotten your schedule yet? Maybe we'll have some classes togeth-"

"Nothing?" Albus cut her off, "You don't have anything to say about it?"

She looked confused and innocent, "About what?"

"You know what." He was being colder than necessary, and he knew it. He wanted to get it out of the way.

"About you being in Ravenclaw? I think it's wonderful, congratulations." Albus couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic because she was hurt by his coldness.

"Oh, come off it. What did James say about it?"

"Nothing. He didn't say anything about it." he flashed her a glare, "Honest."

He paused and chewed his words, "Probably too angry."

"Albus!" he couldn't tell if she was annoyed or sad for him, she swooped down onto the bench next to him. "No one is angry at you, you didn't do anything wrong. If you were placed in Ravenclaw there was a reason for it. You heard the Sorting Hat-"

"I heard him alright. He was loud enough." Rose looked taken aback. She looked down at her lap.

He thought about it and sighed. He felt bad about what he said. "Come on Rose, I'm sorry. I Just can't believe-"

"I know," she said softly, "And I'm sorry, too. I feel awful. I wish we were in the same house, even if it was Slytherin."

"Woah, now, don't get carried away." said Albus humorously.

Rose smiled a bit and seemed to straighten up. "I really do think you'll do well in Ravenclaw, more than once my mother said when she first started she thought she should have been in Ravenclaw."

"Thanks, Rose." he smiled back, "So, can I see your schedule?"

"Oh! Right," she lifted it from her lap and the two leaned in to look over it. "Hm, it looks like we actually have quite a few together, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor seem to be paired often."

"Yeah, but look here," he pointed to their Potions block, in which they were also paired with a portion of Slytherins. "Great. Let's just hope Scorpius Malfoy isn't in that bunch."

Rose nodded weakly, and then looked over Albus's shoulder. The space between her eyebrows wrinkled for a moment as if she had seen something unexpected. "Al, who is that?"

He turned to see where she was looking and saw Lorcan and Lysander walking toward them, Lorcan waving when he saw him turn his head.

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" he said in his dreamy voice as he sat down on the other side of Albus, "And hello to you," he said to Rose, who tried but failed to remain unseen, "Are you one of Albus's new friends?"

"This is my cousin, Rose." said Albus, turning to her for a moment. "From Gryffindor."

"Nice to meet you." said Rose, shyly.

"And same to you, welcome to the Ravenclaw table! I'm Lorcan Scamander."

"And I'm Lysander Scamander. We're twins, if you couldn't tell."

"Hi." said Rose, seemingly trying to hide again.

"Have you gotten your schedule, Harry? Pleased with it?" said Lorcan before taking a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Yeah, it's alright. I'm a little worried for Potions, though, my dad has told me horror stories about it." joked Albus.

"Professor Gondar isn't so bad. That's what some third-year said, anyway. Stern, but alright. Loads of homework, though."

"Great." said Albus sarcastically.

For a moment the four of them sat in awkward silence, before Lysander broke it as if the conversation had never ended. "Well, Rose, aren't you hungry?"

"Oh, erm...I suppose." she became suddenly very interested in her own hands.

After another pause, Lorcan finished "Well, go on then, don't be shy."

Rose opened her mouth as if to say something, but then stopped herself and took a piece of toast from the rack in front of them. She chewed slowly, careful not to make eye contact with anyone.

For the first time since getting on the Hogwarts Express, Albus felt his anxiety decrease significantly. He finally knew what house he was in, even if it wasn't Gryffindor, and he still had his best friend, which began to give him hope that the rest of his family would accept him as Albus Potter: the Ravenclaw. Where he was right now, there was only one last completely dreadful thing he had to worry about at this moment: telling his father. Deep down, he knew his father would always love him, but still it could not prevent him from picturing his father, retrieving a letter from an owl, a wide smile on his face. He saw his smile begin to fade as he read the letter. He tilted his head, just as James had, and tossed the letter into the rubbish bin, turning to his wife and saying "What did we do wrong?"

For a quick second, so fast he thought it may have been his imagination, he was distracted by an image in the corner of his eye. The image of a girl. Not because she was beautiful or ugly, and not because she had said anything to him, because she was strange. Uncannily and absurdly strange, yet there was absolutely nothing particularly extraordinary about her appearance. He turned his head just a bit to get a better look at her face. Her hair was short and extremely curly, so much so that it didn't lie completely flat on her head, making it almost look like a young boy's haircut, it was fairly messy and very dark with lots of strands going in opposing directions. However, she had a handsome face. Her jaw was sharp and shapely, squaring off almost perfectly around her chin. Her eyes were sharp but oddly warm. Her nose was small in the center of her face and her complexion was fair and smooth. He had never met her; they were absolute strangers to each other, but looking at her, something twitched inside of Albus. She looked _so _familiar, he thought. Nevertheless, something inside Albus immediately told him that she was not, and never would be, a threat to him.

"Al?" said Rose's soft voice, bringing him back to reality.

"What?" he said abruptly, almost alarmed. "Right, yeah, oh, I mean...what?"

Rose looked as if she was about to laugh. "Nothing. Calm down. Aren't you going to eat something? It _is _the first day of classes, after all."

"...Oh. Right. Well," he looked around, as if he had just had a meal right in front of him that had disappeared. He eyed a glass full of pumpkin juice, grabbed it, and took several large gulps from it. Just as he grabbed a piece of toast, Professor Hollyblotts, the school's Headmaster, rose from the table and said aloud, "As much as I hope you are all enjoying your breakfast and conversing with your classmates, it is time to dismiss you to class. Enjoy your first day of classes, and remember to try your very best." He clapped his hands and the food was cleared from the table. Albus was left with nothing but an uneaten piece of toast in his hand. People began to rise from their tables and exit in a flux of people to the grand door.

"Oh, Al, you should have eaten!" said Rose, definitely back to her usual self.

Albus shrugged and ate the toast in two large bites. "Oh well. I'll be fine."

Rose shook her head. "Boys." she said to herself. She unfolded her schedule and examined it. "History of Magic with the Hufflepuffs," she said more to herself than to Albus, "you?"

Albus reached into his bag and pulled out a somewhat crumpled piece of parchment. "Herbology, with the Slytherins. Brilliant." said Albus, tucking his schedule back into the pocket of his robes."

"Just ignore them, at least you get to see Neville. Besides, all we know about the Slytherins is what our parents told us, and with Voldemort gone, maybe they're not so bad anymore."

They were nearing the great door now, surrounded by students. Albus lowered his voice, "Yeah, right. I'll bet you they're still a bunch of arrogant gits, and honestly, I don't want to give any of them a chance to prove me right."

Rose sighed and shrugged as they reached the exit of the Great Hall. They said one last goodbye to each other and went their separate ways, Rose on her own, Albus with Lorcan and Lysander at his side.

"Got to tell you, Albus, I was right surprised when you were placed in Ravenclaw." said Lorcan, pacing somewhat more slowly than Albus would have liked to go.

"Me, too." said Albus quietly.

"Not to say anyone's unhappy about it," continued Lysander, "You went up to bed so quickly last night, you didn't even see how excited some of the others were. A lot of people were looking for you, you know. Wanted to shake your hand and all, probably ask you loads of questions."

"Terrific." sighed Albus, who, unlike talkative James and excitable Lucy, preferred his own company to the company of a lot of strangers.

"Don't worry much. We told them we didn't know where you went. We imagined you would want some time to yourself after that." said Lorcan, brightly as ever, smiling warmly at Albus.

"And besides, after a day or two, people will lay off. You can only be interesting for so long until something else comes up, right?" finished Lysander.

"Right," sighed Albus, "At any rate, thanks."

"Don't mention it." the twins said at once.

The three of them walked silently the rest of the way to the Greenhouses. The weather was nice, cool and clear. Albus got his first good look at the grounds. He was almost taken aback by how vast and beautiful it was. The morning sunlight glimmered on the lake, reminding him of the stories his father told him as a child: stories of multitudes of mystical and dangerous creatures living in the lake, Grindylows and Merpeople, and even a Giant Squid. Those stories had always been his favorite.

When they got to the Greenhouses, about half of the students were already there. Immediately he noticed the blonde, slicked-back hair of Scorpius, standing next to two other Slytherins, one a small, red-headed girl with sharp brown eyes and the other a tall, thin, handsome boy with dark skin and small glasses. Albus noticed the red-headed girl look up at him and whisper something to the dark-skinned boy, who then tapped Scorpius's arm, who was looking unamused and even disappointed. Scorpius looked up right at Albus. His eyebrows tilted and he made a move as if to walk over to him, but to Albus's relief before Scorpius could get very far a kind-looking, blonde-haired man walked up in front of him, blocking his view of Scorpius or any of his friends.

"Albus! How wonderful to see you! How are you?"

"Hi, Nev-Professor Longbottom. I'm alright, thanks."

"Just alright? It's your first day at Hogwarts! I remember on my first day-" Neville's eyes traveled down to Albus's chest, where he noticed the blue-and-bronze tie and the patch displaying a dark raven on a deep blue background.

"Ravenclaw?" he sounded almost skeptical.

"Er...well, yeah.."

He looked about the room, "Oh yes, I'd forgotten that it was...ahem." He looked awkward and forgetful.

"It's alright, I expected to be in Gryffindor, too." Albus looked at his feet, anxiety bubbling up into his stomach. If this is how a family friend reacted, he could only imagine his father's reaction.

"What? Goodness, no! That's not what I meant, I was just..." he scanned the room again, realizing that several minutes had passed and everyone in the class had arrived, "It's time for class to start, but I'll talk to you soon, Albus." he smiled warmly at him and walked to the front of the room, tapping his wand on the long table to gather everyone's attention.

The lesson was a fairly dry one about topics they would be covering during the year and being shown, dramatically, by Neville exactly how dangerous dealing with some plants can be (whether these demonstrations were purposeful or not was unclear).

Albus, and most of the class, it looked, couldn't help but feel relieved when the class was dismissed. He unfolded his schedule.

"What d'we got next then, Albus?" asked Lyander loudly as he gripped his bag.

"Potions," Albus said happily, "with the Gryffindors," his face went sullen again, "and a few Slytherins."

"Right, then, let's go." The three of them started for the door, when Neville called Albus aside.

"Albus! A word?"

"Yes, Professor?" said Albus, turning and joining Neville in the corner.

"Would you like to meet me in my office for tea Friday after classes are over? And don't hesitate to say no, I would fully understand if you would rather spend time getting to know your new classmates!"

Albus thought about what Lorcan and Lysander said about all the other Ravenclaws wanting to talk to him, and got anxious at the thought. Besides, he'd always liked Neville.

"Sure. Great. Where is your office?"

"Second floor, you can't miss it."

He nodded once, "Right. See you then, Professor." He turned to leave with Lorcan and Lysander, when Neville called once more.

"And Albus?"Albus turned to him, "You can still call me Neville in private." he flashed him a warm smile, revealing two lines of crooked teeth.

Albus smiled back at him, feeling somehow comforted for some reason, and took off back to the Castle.

Albus felt a weight lifted off his chest when he was able to sit next to Rose in Potions. He felt much more at-home when he was with her. That alone made the class bearable, even if the lesson itself was just as dull, if not more so, than the Herbology lesson had been. The third-year had been right about Professor Gondar; alright, but strict, but it was when she assigned them a paper to research a potion that, in their opinion, was most important and useful and describe, in detail, the process of making and completing it that Albus decided that he did not particularly care for her or her class.

"A paper! On the first day! Is that woman mad?" Albus exclaimed loudly as they made their way to Lunch afterwords.

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's not so bad. The whole idea is just to help us develop a good work ethic."

More quietly, Albus repeated, "But really, on the first day..."

"If you really have trouble, Al, I'll help you, alright?"

He sighed. "Fine. Thanks."

The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion, one dull lecture after the next. Albus only hoped they would get more interesting as the year progressed. Nevertheless, he felt quite fatigued after dinner in the Ravenclaw common room. Albus sat on the floor in front of the fireplace with Lorcan and Lysander, all of the seats having been taken by older students. He was listening to the droning sound of them going on about some odd creatures he had never heard of, reading a book by Newt Scamander, their great-grandfather, called _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. _Albus found the sound almost relaxing, seeming to help him focus on his dastardly Potions essay. He cursed Gondar under his breath as he searched through the bookshelf, that he thought was ginormous, for a detailed book about potions, but with no luck. Annoyed, he had sat back down with the twins, where he was now looking through his beginners' Potions book over and over again to try to find a detailed explanation of a useful potion to write about.

Eventually, Albus felt as though if he looked through the same book one more time he would go blind. He lowered the book from his face and looked at Lorcan and Lysander, now playing an odd game involving Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans and fresh parchment. They looked as if there was nothing in the world to worry about, just things to be cheerful about. He envied them.

"Aren't you worried at all about that Potions essay due on Friday?" he asked, bemused by their carefree dispositions.

"Worried? I've already got my directions written down. I'd say that's about half of the work alone." said Lysander, not taking his attention away from the game.

"Yep, me too." said Lorcan, the same way as Lysander.

Albus felt his eyes practically bulge out of his head and his temples pulse in aggravation. _This is exactly why, _he thought to himself, _I don't belong in Ravenclaw. They're all so _smart_. _"How in the bloody hell did you do that?" he asked, sounding just as frustrated as he felt.

"She helped us, a little." said Lorcan, pointing over at a girl with her face buried in a very advanced-looking Potions book.

"Is that even allowed?" Albus wondered, coldly, aloud.

"Sure, why not?" continued Lysander, completely unaffected by Albus's tone, "All she did was give us a little push in the right direction. She let us borrow one of her books, giving us a few suggestions what to write on, you know, little things."

"_One_ of her books? I guess she really likes Potions." said Albus to them quietly, still eying her discreetly.

"Why don't you ask her? She seemed delighted to help us. But then, why wouldn't she be? It probably makes her feel...knowledgeable." said Lysander, thoughtfully, as if suddenly immersed in his own mind.

"Er..." Albus always got nervous at the idea of talking to someone he didn't know very well, "Well, I can't just walk up to her, she's older than us." he said, coming up with excuses, more to appease himself than anyone else.

"No, she's quite friendly," said Lorcan, "besides, she's only a third-year. She's the one who talked to us about Professor Gondar last night, after we were sorted."

"Er..." Albus sat, looking at his feet, pondering which was more important; his dignity or his Potion's grade.

"Go on! She's just a person, she won't bite." Lorcan said, jokingly. "You're not nervous, are you?" he said, seeing the expression on Albus's face. "I didn't mean to upset you. You want me to ask with you?"

"Nope, that's alright." Albus said, immediately jumping up. The only thing he could imagine as being more awkward than talking to a third-year stranger was being so cowardly that someone had to do it for him. "I'll just do it quick, no big deal, right?"

They both nodded in unison, brightly as ever. Albus took a quick breath and approached her, admittedly much more nervous than he knew was necessary.

"Er...excuse me?" he said to her. She was sitting in a small sofa chair, upholstered with an attractive blue-and-silver patterned fabric, slouching casually, reading her potions book as if it was recreational reading, which, according to what Lorcan and Lysander had said, it very well could be.

She lowered the book from her face, and the sight her boyish, curly hair and fair skin and handsome face made Albus's veins light on fire even more and feel like he could start trembling.

"Yeah?" she said politely, but casually.

"Erm...well, er, I saw you reading that book and, er, I was hoping that you, er..." he had no idea why she made him so nervous.

"Potions essay?" she asked expectantly.

"Eh-" Albus said unintentionally, then nodded, his ears scarlet.

She smiled an almost funny smile, as if she was enjoying a private joke with herself. "You must be the fifth first-year whose asked me to helped them." she said, getting up from her seat and heading towards the girl's dormitories, presumably to get a book for him.

"I'm sorry to be a bother..." said Albus, tilting his red face.

"It's no bother, really," she said, tossing him a quick glance over her shoulder, "I like Potions."

"Right." he said, feeling slightly appeased. "Sorry, by the way, I'm-"

"Albus Potter," she cut him off, turning toward him, smiling crookedly, "I know. Everyone knows." Albus forced a chuckle, his face reddening again. For a moment, she seemed to rethink her words, tilting her eyes a bit and trying to generate a warmer facial expression. "And that's fine. I'm Emilia. Emilia Harrow."


	3. Chapter 3: Who I Am

_Thanks to everyone who has read and enjoyed so far! The story is beginning to form a bit now, there is and will continue to be more character development and general stuff happening now. Hope you enjoy this! Disclaimer: All characters and places belong to J.K. Rowling except for the few original characters and situations._

* * *

><p><em>Dear Mum and Dad,<em>

_ First off, I'm sorry I haven't written yet, Mum, I know I promised I'd write on the first day of classes, but only two days later and already I've had a load of homework to do, mostly just to see what we already know. Why on earth do you think they do that anyway? If you ask me it's even worse than normal work, because you don't understand anything they ask (haha). Anyway, I guess I have to be serious now and tell you what will have to come out anyway (if James hasn't already blabbed it to you, that is). Mum, dad, here it goes: I'm not a Gryffindor; but if it helps any, I'm not a Slytherin either. I'm a Ravenclaw. I'm supposedly witty and clever, but I don't really feel witty and clever, at least not compared to some of the others in Ravenclaw. Some can finish an entire paper in the time it takes me to write a sentence, it seems. If anything, Rose should have been placed here, she must be the smartest person in our year. At any rate, I'm in the same house as Lorcan and Lysander Scamander, you know, Luna and Rolf's sons? I thought they were weird at first, honestly, but I think I'm starting to like them. They're nice, and quite funny at times, a lot like Luna, actually. Anyway, I should probably go, before it gets too late to go to the Owlery. Anyway, well, I hope you aren't too upset with me. I wanted to be in Gryffindor. I still do. I don't think I really belong in Ravenclaw. Sorry to sound so sad. I'll get used to it._

_ P.S.-If you do ever have, you know, any free time, Mum, and decide to send me, oh I don't know, treats of some kind, I wouldn't mind some of your chocolate chip-pumpkin cookies. Just a thought._

_ Al_

Albus read over his letter one last time, swallowed his fear and sealed it up. It was 18:53; he had seven minutes to bring his letter up to the Owlery and get back to the Ravenclaw common room before first-year curfew. He was sitting in the library, arguably his favorite place in the castle yet, not because he was surrounded by books, like Rose's reasoning, but because it was virtually the only place he could go where excited students couldn't approach him without being yelled at by the persnickety librarian, not to mention that the quiet cleared his head and that the room itself _was _quite nice. He jumped up from his seat, nodded to the librarian, who had begun to recognize him, and walked briskly out of the room and up the stairs.

* * *

><p>It was his first time in the Hogwarts Owlery. The first thing he noticed about it was the sound of the owls, some of who were just beginning to awaken from a day's sleep. He was, at first, somewhat intimidated, by the size and intensity of some of them. He had seen owls before, of course, loads of them, but never so many in the same, small space. He looked around for a bit for a slender, brown barn owl; Dominique's owl, who she had said anyone in the family could use when she was there.<p>

"Juliette?" he called softly, "Juliette? Are you here?" he spotted her perched on an open windowsill, turning and screeching when she heard her name called. "There you are." he walked up to her and stroked her soft back, she shivering with pleasure. Her eyes were unique for an owl's, blue and intense, much like Dominique's. Albus felt a warmth inside him; he had always had a tender spot for animals, he loved petting them and playing with them and, he had admitted to himself before, sometimes found them better companions than people. A lot of animals, he had learned, will respect you and be loyal to you if you treat them with kindness in return, unlike many people. They were easy to please and to like. He smiled at the soft, cooing owl, scratching her head one last time and then putting the letter in her beak. "To my mum and dad, Harry and Ginny." he said to her. The owl blinked its big eyes once and flapped away into the darkening sky. For a moment he stood and admired the view out of the window on which Juliette had been perching. From there he could see the whole castle, looking so big and even ominous in this light. He could even see Hagrid's small hut, with a steady stream of smoke coming out of the chimney, as he made a mental note that he still needed to visit Hagrid as he had promised. The cool wind hitting his face seemed to free him, and he smiled and imagined himself as an owl; he wouldn't have a worry in the world. He would just fly along the moon and feel the wind, it wouldn't matter to anyone what school house he was in or who his father was, all that would matter is that the mail got home on time and to exist.

"Enjoying the lovely view, Potter?" A cold voice ripped through his thoughts, and he didn't even need to turn around to know who the culprit was, but he did anyway. Scorpius Malfoy's smile was just as greasy as his hair in the moonlight, and gave him more chills than the cool air. He thought about what his father had said about the Malfoys', "They're as cold and arrogant as you can get, but what we ultimately figured out was that Draco Malfoy's bark was worse than his bite. Much worse." He didn't have much to say to Scorpius. He knew he was nothing to be scared of.

Albus just looked at him, "Hello, Scorpius." he said.

Scorpius just sneered, "Is that all?" he laughed coldly, but falsely.

"Yeah," he said, surprising himself by how collected he was being, "and if you don't mind, I need to get back before curfew."

He looked somewhat taken aback, almost as if he had the sudden realization that he was talking to the wrong person. "A Potter, following rules? Coward, Potter?" he cackled the same, false laugh.

"Goodnight, Scorpius." said Albus and, feeling more confident than he had in days, he turned and walked calmly down the stairs. Scorpius did not follow.

* * *

><p>The next day, Friday, Albus could not have been happier for it to be a Friday. Not even a week of classes had passed, and already he felt like he needed a rest. He wasn't even tired because of the schoolwork, he realized, but because he had spent so much time and energy that week dodging talkative and curious classmates. He had made a pact with himself that that weekend, he would go right in the open and get it all over with, even if it took the entire day. In general, he was feeling much more chipper that day; he had finished his Potions essay proudly, he had stood up to Scorpius Malfoy, and he had finally gotten writing to his parents out of the way. He was making his way down to the Great Hall when Rose caught up to him<em>.<em>

"Morning, Al!" she said perkily, "Sleep well?"

"Morning. Yeah, alright."

"You finish your Potions essay alright?"

"Yeah. I'm happy with it, actually."

"Really?" Rose sounded skeptical, "I thought you said you weren't fond of Potions."

"I'm not, but I managed to get a little help." he smiled cleverly at Rose.

"Albus Potter, you did _not _cheat, did you?" she was quietly outraged.

"No!" he chuckled outwardly at her overreaction, "Honest. No cheating. Some nice third-year helped me. A girl who likes Potions."

"A _girl_?" she said, giggling, joking with him.

"Come off it, dummy." he said, laughing with her.

When they got to the Great Hall, Albus scanned over the room. He noticed that Lorcan and Lysander had not come down yet, and then he eyed everyone in his family already sitting at the Gryffindor table, who, he realized, he still had not talked to since coming to school. He had been too worried.

"They're not here yet," pointed out Rose, looking for Lorcan and Lysander, "Come on," she began to head in the direction of the Ravenclaw table, as she had every breakfast and lunch so far, to sit with Albus, and not the rest of her family at the Gryffindor table. He felt a sorriness and a sense of guilt for Rose, and also a push in himself. This was something he needed to do.

He stopped her before she got far, "Rose, wait, why don't we sit at the Gryffindor table today?"

She smiled at him and patted him on the back. "Yeah, good idea."

He was nervous walking over to the Gryffindor table, but more confident than he had felt lately. Besides, he thought, he couldn't just ignore his family until the end of school.

"Good morning." Rose said to them as she sat down, Albus sitting quietly next to her.

"Well, look who finally decided to show his face!" Fred said, making room for them to sit next to him, "Long time, no see, eh smarty?" he stood up excitedly and ruffled Albus's hair. "You know, Al, we been lookin' for you, you know. Been wantin' you to do our homework for us, Mister Ravenclaw." He laughed and put his arm around Albus's shoulder, who smiled and laughed and began to feel like the world was lifted off of his shoulders.

"Right. Mister Ravenclaw." said James, in a bitter voice. He thought too soon.

It was quiet amongst the family members for a moment, even Fred had sat back down in silence. "James..." Dominique said quietly, scolding.

"Is there something you want to say, James?" said Albus, trying to maintain the same calm he had had the night before with Scorpius, but he found it much harder to maintain when it was with his brother. The family had begun to look down at their plates religiously, trying to stay out of the conversation.

"Why-how-I don't-" he kept stopping himself, looking for the right words, "I'm not mad, Al, I just-I don't _get _it-"

"You _sound_ mad." said Albus, trying with all of his might to keep from erupting with frustration.

"I'm _not,_" he was not persuading Albus "I just wanted-you know-I thought it would be fun if we were all in Gryffindor. We could sneak to Hogsmeade together, and-and play games, and do each others homework, and-you know." He looked ashamed at himself, but as he described those things, Albus felt a wave of sadness, maybe even a taste of how happy he would be if he were put in the right house.

"We can still do that stuff," said Albus, with a streak of affection, "but the reality is I'm not in Gryffindor. I still think I should be, but I'm not. So...we're all going to have to make the best of it...right?" he looked around to the rest of his family, smiling brightly, trying to imitate the intoxicating way that Lorcan and Lysander smiled, and to his great happiness and relief, they all smiled back, even James, and he knew that, at least with his family, things were going to be okay.

* * *

><p>Classes seemed much shorter and much more bearable that day than they had all week, and when classes were finally over for the day, Albus was feeling much less tired than he usually did. He took a deep breath and planned to meet Lorcan, Lysander, and his family down by the lake, where they would be until dinner, until he remembered something: he had promised to have tea with Neville in his office that afternoon. He let out his deep breath as a sigh and begrudgingly made his way to his office. It's not that he didn't <em>want <em>to have tea with Neville, just not now, not when things were finally starting to go right again and he could be outside with friends.

When he got to the office the door was ajar, and from the inside Albus smelled a flowery, pleasant aroma. "Professor?" he said, standing in the doorway.

He heard a loud thump and then saw Neville emerge from under the desk, rubbing his head. "Ah, Albus! Come in, come in." As Albus walked slowly inside, Neville stood up and attended to what looked like a tea set near a window in the room. Albus stood in front of the desk, unsure of where to go or what to do. Inside the room were also two cozy-looking sofa couches facing each other with a small coffee table in the middle. "Come in, sit down." Neville said, motioning to one of the sofa chairs.

He sat down and subtly took in the sweet aroma in the room. It was a rather uplifting scent, presumably, he realized, coming from the tea.

"You'll have to excuse me," Neville said, setting down the tea set and motioning to his desk, "I think a gnome's gone loose in here, thought I saw the rodent." he said. Sitting down, he continued, "Ah, well, that's what I get for re-potting plants inside, eh?" he chuckled, while Albus forced a smile. "Tea?" he asked, holding up the kettle.

Albus sniffed the sweet air again and nodded. The color of the tea seemed to go from deep yellow to orange to red to rich pink. The aroma was definitely coming from the tea. Albus sweetened it to his liking and took a sip. The flavor was even richer and more pleasant than the smell. It tasted like pomegranates, roses, cinnamon, and vanilla. For a moment he let himself be surrounded by the flavor, finding that the tea gave him, not a high, but a slight, pleasant sense of ease and clarity, making him feel a little more comfortable in the unfamiliar office, the unfamiliar chair.

"Do you like the tea?" asked Neville.

"Mmm-hmm." mumbled Albus enthusiastically, swallowing a mouthful. "What is it?"

"Well...I actually don't know yet. I've been experimenting with different kinds of tea leaves, cross-breeding them with flowers and fruits and such, looking for something new for my wife to sell in the pub."

Albus was surprised by how intrigued he was with Neville's ability to do that. _Huh. Cool! _He thought to himself.

"What do you think?" Neville asked, a touch of humor in his tone, "You think it would catch on?"

"I think so," Albus said honestly, "That's probably the best tea I've ever had. _I _would buy it, anyway." he said, smiling.

Neville chuckled heartily and said, "Well, Mrs. Longbottom will be even _happier _to hear that."

There was a comfortable silence in which the two sat drinking the tea and enjoying the quiet.

"So, Albus," Neville began sounding slightly more uncomfortable than he had just seconds ago, "how do you-how do you like Ravenclaw house?"

Had it been yesterday, Albus probably would have felt disinclined to answer or really talk about the subject, but maybe since it was because things had been getting better, or maybe it was even because of the tea, Albus felt that he could, and wanted to, talk about it with Neville.

"Well-" he started, unsure how to continue, "You see-I don't feel much like I should be in Ravenclaw. Like I don't belong, kind of." he stopped, aware that Neville might feel awkward talking to him like this. He looked at his face, filled with understanding and kindness.

"Go on, Albus, don't be ashamed." he said.

"I was worried of not being in Gryffindor, but I still thought-that, you know-I still thought that I would be sorted there, because my dad told me that the hat takes your wish into account, and-was he lying?"

Neville shook his head, "I think he's telling the truth. Remember, I was there when he got sorted. The hat wanted to put him into Slytherin, did you know that?"

"Kind of, I think." Albus went on. "But the thing is, when it came time for me to ask to be in Gryffindor, I didn't."

The look on Neville's face shifted slightly, becoming more of a half-smile. He had thought of something, Albus could tell, but he allowed him, instead, to continue.

"I wanted to, so badly, but I couldn't. It was like, part of me wanted me to be in Gryffindor, and kind of like, part of me didn't-and the part of me that didn't stopped the part of me that did from doing anything. But maybe I was just too scared, and if that's true than maybe I shouldn't be in Gryffindor anyway. Because Gryffindors are brave. Does that sound stupid?"

He shook his head again. "Not in the least bit. In fact, it sounds very smart, to me. I think you're braver than you give yourself credit for, Albus. And I think you're not alone."

"How do you mean?"

"Well," he shifted his position, "Once upon a time, Albus, there was a boy who was silly-looking, clumsy, forgetful, it went on and on. A lot of people said he wasn't even fit to be a wizard, so it was even more surprising that when he came to Hogwarts, he was sorted into Gryffindor, where all of the "brave" and "sharp" people go. That boy was anything but brave and sharp, but he was loyal, and kind, and dedicated. For years after, he and many others wondered why he wasn't placed in Hufflepuff. But then there finally came a point where everything seemed to come together. All of a sudden, the dedication and loyalty proved to be what made him brave and strong. He wasn't placed in Gryffindor because he was a Hero and because he was the best and the bravest, which is how people usually think of Gryffindors, but because his desire and will to protect his friends outweighed his own fears. The moral of the story is he was a true Gryffindor all along, and the sorting hat knew that before everyone else and better than anyone else, even now."

The story came together, and Albus understood. "You thought that you were meant to be a Hufflepuff?"

Neville smiled, "You catch on fast. That's a Ravenclaw quality, you know. And yes, I did. If the sorting hat put you in Ravenclaw, it's because he knows that's where you'll do best. And honestly I agree with him."

"You do?" Albus eyed him, surprised and skeptical, "Why? I'm not witty and clever..."

"There is more to being a Ravenclaw than just intelligence, Albus, just like there's more to being a Gryffindor than just bravery. Despite what some people say I think you're quite different from your father."

"Oh..." Albus felt a wave of sadness come over him.

"But that isn't a _bad _thing, I also see a lot of him in you, and your mum. Like both of your parents, you are kind and have a good heart." Albus's ears went red. It was odd hearing this from a Professor, even if he did know him outside of school. "But, Albus, I've known you for a long time and I know that you and your dad do have a _lot _of differences, one of the biggest being your patience, you manage to keep calm in times where your dad would have lost it. A good friend, but quite hot-headed, if I may say so."

Albus chuckled to himself. It was true, he knew. He had seen the way his dad could react to situations at work or feuds at home or people he didn't like; it could get ugly.

"There are a lot of things. Your maturity, which is high for your age. You're definitely not a rule -breaker like your dad was, or James, this time last year I'm sure he'd already had two or more detentions." Albus laughed at this, making a note to bother him about it later. "And, I know this is asking a lot, but do you think, maybe, when you, as you said, 'stopped' yourself from asking to be in Gryffindor, its because that part of you might have wanted to not be in Gryffindor to _be _different from your dad?"

Albus looked down into his teacup, which, he hadn't even noticed, had been refilled since his last cup. "I hadn't thought of that...maybe, I guess. Maybe." he shrugged, and drank more of the tea, which re-relaxed him a bit.

Neville smiled widely at him and picked up his own teacup, "And as for being intelligent? I think you are, more than you give yourself credit for, anyway. There are different kinds of intelligence outside of academic intelligence, like common sense and intuitiveness, which I think you have both of. Well, Albus, guess what? Patience, maturity, wanting to be different, common sense and intuitiveness, those are all very headstrong qualities. Headstrong-"

"Ravenclaw." he said, staring off into his teacup.

"Right."

He thought to himself. Was he really all of those things? Is that what the sorting hat saw when he placed him? "Maybe I do belong in Ravenclaw." he said aloud, still looking into his teacup. "Yeah, maybe I do."


End file.
